Thread-stand for sewing machines



April 17, 1956 c. R. ODERMANN THREAD-STAND FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Jan. 30, 1953 m m m m Ulla/vies Rn (Qdwmann WITNESS= ATTORNEY r 2,742,244 THREAD-STAND FOR SEWING MACHINES Charles R. Odermann, Milford, Conn., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 30, 1953, Serial No. 334,201 1 Claim. (Cl. 242-131 The present invention relates to, sewing machines and has for a primary object to provide a new and improved thread-stand for a multi-needle sewing machine. I

More specifically it is an object of: the present invention to provide a thread-stand adapted, to support a plurality of thread supplies for a multi-needle sewing machine in a novel manner such that the thread handling is greatly improved, and particularly such that the likelihoodof thread entanglement is greatly reduced over prior devices.

In addition to providing a more efficient thread-handling device, it is a further object of the present invention to provide a thread-stand which is durable, relatively'inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise more economical and satisfactory to use. i

Having'in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of .parts as illustrated in' the presently. preferred embodiment of the invention,'=which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable'those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a thread-guiding element of a thread-stand made in accordance with the present invention. i

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a thread-stand made in accordance with the present invention and illustrated in use with a sewing machine, fragmentary portions of which machine are included. 1

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. l.

In the drawings there is shown a portion of a sewing machine l mounted upon a table or support 2. The machine 1 is of the two-thread chain-stitch multi-needle type and the particular machine selected to illustrate the invention is of the four-needle type which would require four needle threads 3, 4, 5 and 6 and four looper threads 7 7, 8, 9 and 10. The various threads are each led from a source of supply toward the stitching mechanisms through appropriate well-known thread handling devices such as the tensions 11 which cooperate with the needlethreads 3, 4, 5 and v6, and the thread-guide 12 and threadtubes 13 which cooperate with the looper threads 7, 8, 9 and 10. It will be understood that the needle-threads and the looper-threads-are each supplied from a separate thread-stand which may be substantially identical in construction. The thread-stand for the looper threads which, as illustrated, embodies the present invention, is hereinafter described in detail. 4

The thread-stand for the looper-threads 7, 8, 9 and comprises a vertical rod 14 preferably formed of a lower section 14a and a smaller diameter upper section 14b releasably secured to the lower section substantially at the midpoint of the stand, the rod 14 being supported by means of a socket member 15 having a flange 16 fastened to the table 2adjacent the machine l as by screws 17,

2,742,244 t drhpra 17,; 1956 and provided with an upstanding boss- 18 having a vertical bore therein in which bore the lower-end ofthej rod 14 is received and in which it is securedas by a. set-screw 19. Mounted on the rod 14 at anintermediatepoint are a pair of similar spool platforms 20 and 21 each; adapted to be individually and centrally secured to the rod 14 in any suitable manner. The platfonns'20 and 21' are each adapted to support two thread spools or ,cones, 22,; one

upon each side of the rod 14 and the twoplatforms are arranged at a right angle to each other-whereby the four thread cones 22 will be equally spaced angularlyabout and radially from the rod 14. Each of the thread cones 22 supplies one of the looper-threads 7, 8,9 and'10.

Mounted upon the upper end of the rod 14 isa threadguide, generally designated by the numeral 23 which thread guide 23 comprisesa ring-24 formed of 5a stripof heavygauge sheet metal'bent 'into circular shape.-.-Th e-ring 24 is of such diameter as to overhang substantially-the centers of the thread cones 22 and is provided with similar grommets or thread-eyes 25, 26, 27 and28, each directly above the center done of the thread cones 22 and adapted to receive the looper-threads 7, 8, 9 and 10' respectively. It will, of course, be understood that thread-apertures would sufiice even though the disclosed thread-eyes are shank portion 29 is inserted through an appropriate sized aperture in the ring 24 until the shoulderibetween the shank 29 and head 30 contacts the side of the ring, and a spring-like wire clip 32 is placed over the exposed, end of the shank and sprung into the reduced-neck 31'to,hold the thread-eye on the ring 24. q 7

The ring 24 is'secured to the rod'14 by. two opposed diametrically arranged bars-33 of sheetmetahhavin .,;the ends 34 and3 5 thereof bent to thecurvature of therin'g 24, which ends 345m 35 "are adaptedto be secured "to the ring as by bolts 36 and 36' passing through the ends and the ring and receiving nuts 37 and 38 respectively upon the threaded ends thereof. The bars 33 are spaced from each other a distance less than the diameter of the rod 14 and the center portions thereof are arched as at 39 to pass on either side of the rod 14. Screws 40 are passed through the bars 33 on either side of the arched portions 39 and receive the nuts 41 to secure the bars together and to clamp the arched portions 39 against the rod 14. A second thread guide 42 also formed of a strip of sheet metal is secured to and in the plane of the ring 24 by the bolts 36 and nuts 37 that fasten a central portion 43 of the guide to the ring, which portion43 is formed to the curvature of the ring. It should also be noted that v the portion 43 of the guide 42, together with the bolts 36, serve to hold the free ends of the ring 24 in the desired position. Intermediate portions 43 are provided on either side of thecentral portion 43, which portions 43 are bent outwardly with respect to the ring 24 and carry guide end portions 44 bent at an angle thereto. The end portions 44 of the guide 42 are thus formed to'lie in the plane of said ring and parallel to but spaced from a line tangential to the ring 24 at the center point of the guide, and are provided with thread-eyes 45, 46, 47 and 48, similarto the thread-eyes 25, 26, 27 and 28, each adapted to re a screw 52. The thread-guide 49 has one leg of a bracket 53 secured centrally thereto as by welding, and the other leg of the bracket 53 is bolted to the arm 50. The threadguide 49 is arranged parallel to the ends 44 of the guide,

apertures 54, 55, 56 and 57, which are adapted to receive the looper-threads 7, 8, 9 and respectively.

In use, the threads 7 and 10 are led upwardly from the respective codes 22, 'outwardlyfrom the center of the ring 24 through the thread eyes 25 and'28, respectively, through the thread-eyes 45 and 48-and apertures 54 and 57, respectively, to the guide 12, and-through two of the tubes 13 to the looper mechanism. The threads 8 and 9 are led upwardly from the respective cones 22, inwardly toward the center of the ring 24 through the thread-eyes 26 and 27, respectively, over the upper edge of the ring 24', through the thread-eyes 46-and 47 and apertures 55 and 56,- respectively, to the guide 12 and throughtwo of the tubes 13 to the looper mechanism; It will be seen that with the above arrangement, the possibility of the 7 threads becoming'entangled has been substantially eliminated and that the drag imposed 'upon the thread as it 7 is drawn through the system has been reduced to a minimum. In addition, it will be seen that the guide 23 can be adjusted vertically with respect to the rod 14 to obtain "the optimum thread'leads', i. e., to provide a longer pull- 'otf lead from larger thread cones which thus reduces the drag upon the thread, and to provide a shorter pull-off lead for smaller thread cones which thus reduces the length of free travel of the thread leads.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed vention'are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claim.

' Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claimherein is: V

. A thread-stan'd for use witha sewing machine comprising a rod, an annular ring-like thread-guide formed from a strip of sheet metal bent into substantially cylindrical shape and having abutting ends, means for securing said thread-guide concentrically and adjustably to said rod substantially normal thereto, said means comprising two opposed resilient 'bars passing upon opposite sides of said rod and having complemental rod engaging portions normally spaced from each other a distance less than the diameter of said rod, said bars having the ends thereof bent laterally and arranged in engagement with the inner surface of said thread-guide, one of the ends of each of said'bars being in engagement with one of the abutting ends of said thread-guide, means for fastening the ends of said bars to said thread-guide at the points of engagement, means for clamping said bars against said rod, said thread-guide having'a plurality of thread-guiding apertures therein arranged with the axes thereof in a plane substantially normal-to said rod, a second thread-guide formed of a strip of sheet metal and having a plurality of threadguiding apertures equal in number to the number of thread-guiding apertures in said first-mentioned threadguide, said second thread-guide being arranged "adjacent the abutting ends of said first-mentioned thread-guide and being secured thereto by said means for fastening the adjacent ends of the bars to said first-mentioned threadguide, whereby said second thread-guide will span the distance between said abutting ends and will hold the same in abutting relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 755,975 Witcher Mar. 29, 1904 934,251 Weiss Sept. 14, 1909 1,166,815 Cook Jan. 4, 1916 1,260,069 Sawtell Mar. 19, 1918 1,430,165 Heindrich et a1 Sept. 26, 1922 1,751,003 Kaiser Mar. 18,1930 2,628,579 Sutphin Feb. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 345,201 GreatBritain Mar. 16, 193l 

